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Pleasantville is a very clever movie, far smarter than you would expect. Yojimbo was good, but nothing like the other Kurosawas I’ve seen thus far. It was fun seeing Mifune play a different kind of role, and I liked seeing how smart his character was. I couldn’t tell if he cared about the town or just started messing around because he was bored. On the other hand, most of the straight up swordfights were too one-sided to be really exciting. At the end, he took out eight guys at once, including the Andre the Giant looking guy, without breaking a sweat. The only really dramatic segment was when he was captured without his sword, and that was probably the height of the movie. My biggest problem was that, aside from the innkeeper our hero stayed with, there were hardly any civilians in the town. Practically everyone was involved with one of the gangs, so there weren’t many characters to sympathize with. I needed to see the town suffering under the gang war in order to care how it turned out. A more modern take on this where everyone had guns would lead to a lot of people caught in the crossfire, but with swords, there’s no accidental deaths, and it seemed like nearly everyone who died had it coming. What was the deal with Sansuke? Why did Mifune (or Sanjuro, or the man with no name- whatever) tell him to hang himself? I must have missed something. I know I’m complaining a lot, but I think that’s just because my last two Kurosawas set the bar so high. This was still a good movie, just not in the same league as Seven Samurai and Rashomon. Rating: 3/4 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 24. The Great Dictator- I think this Chaplin kid may be going somewhere. Maybe I should take a look at one of his movies. 26. Battleship Potemkin- I have no idea what this is about- is it Russian, I think? I don't know, but it's on so many best of all time lists that I figure I should put it on mine. 27. Gattaca- Another on the embarrassingly long "owned but not watched" list. This is sci-fi, I think having something to do when genetic engineering? I was thinking maybe it was a prison, but that's Attica. As you can see, I'm mostly blind on this one. 28. Sophie's Choice- I really have no idea what this is, but I've seen it referenced a lot lately. I'm not sure why, but I figure there must be a reason. 29. Gandhi- Bald Ben Kingsley takes on the British Empire. P.S. Ben Kingsley is British. Sure, why not. 30. Platoon- "Hey, dad, I made a Vietnam movie, too!" "That's nice, Charlie." "Ah, screw you! I'm gonna go snort coke off a hooker's rear end." Also the Green Goblin is in this. 31. Brazil- So a Monty Python guy made a trippy Orwellian sci-fi movie. Sounds fun! 34. Hamlet- I've never seen nor read any version of this (unless you count The Lion King). I think I tried reading it once, and failed. Shakespeare was meant to be watched. When I try to read it, I get bogged down trying to understand all the archaic words, but when I'm viewing it, the momentum helps me understand the action even if I miss some of the dialogue. That's what happened with Kenneth Branagh's excellent version of Much Ado About Nothing, so I'll go with his version of Hamlet as well. 36. My Dinner with Andre- This stars Wallace Shawn. I liked the movie where he kidnapped princesses with Andre, but he died in that one... I assume this is a prequel? Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4, Casablanca: 4/4, Duck Soup: 2/4, Pulp Fiction: 4/4, Barton Fink: 3.5/4, Annie Hall:3/4, Rashomon: 4/4, Blade Runner: 3.5/4, Chinatown: 4/4, Nashville: 3.5/4, Goodfellas: 4/4, The Seven Samurai: 4/4, Superman: 2/4, The Exorcist: 3/4, A Face in the Crowd: 3.5/4, The Seventh Seal: 2.5/4, Treasure of the Sierra Madre: 3.5/4, Apocalypse Now: 4/4, 2001: A Space Odyssey: 2.5/4, The Deer Hunter: 3/4, Schindler's List: 4/4, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: 3/4, Young Frankenstein: 3.5/4, Yojimbo: 3/4
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Feb 3, 2012 23:54
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Jurgan posted:Pleasantville is a very clever movie, far smarter than you would expect. Yojimbo has been remade several times into westerns, gangster, noir, science fiction, whatever type or genre of film. They all play exactly like Yojimbo. The town is not really that important, or better you are focusing to literally on the town aspect, and not the bigger picture. The focus is on the human morals and heroism. There are two factions, neither of them good and both compromised of greedy and miserable gits, who start a war but are to scared to actually carry it forward. The only good side of the conflict is that of the main character, who sets out to exterminate both gangs and rid the town(and the world!) of people who are in it only for money and for themselves. Sanjuro doesn't really do anything at random, everything he does has a point and the reasons for him staying are quite apparent, it's because it's the good and right thing to do. His main advantage is that he isn't in it for the money, nor are any of his morals muddled up, Sanjuro is completely selfless and he goes out of his way to set things right, even putting his life on the line to save few people not caught in web of greed and corruption. When evil has been conquered he goes on his merry way, in a fashion that leaves you wondering that the previous events are something of a routine to him. He's a real hero(and a real human being) in all senses of the word. In light of Kurosawa's filmography it's quite the unique character and film, it's probably one of the few where true good triumphs wholly over corruption and greed, and there is the victory of the selfless individual in the face of adversity.
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Feb 4, 2012 02:43
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Electronico6 posted:Yojimbo has been remade several times into westerns, gangster, noir, science fiction, whatever type or genre of film. They all play exactly like Yojimbo. Not saying you HAVE to like it Jurgan, just throwing out my 2c. Fistful of Dollars and Miller's Crossing are both pretty similar to Yojimbo's story, and they each emphasize the human suffering a little more, like you were talking about. They all three draw heavily from the Dashiell Hammett short stories Red Harvest and The Glass Key from the 1920s, about detectives navigating a world of corrupt officials, dirty cops, and crooked gangsters. Edit: Oh, to address your question about the "go hang yourself" - he was talking to the worthless constable right? The dude was a total sycophant, and the town would be better off without him. fenix down fucked around with this message at 04:20 on Feb 4, 2012 |
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Feb 4, 2012 04:08
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Jurgan posted:31. Brazil- So a Monty Python guy made a trippy Orwellian sci-fi movie. Sounds fun! Well I watched Brick and enjoyed it very much but it was rather flawed. For the unfamiliar, the essential conceit of the film is that it's a hard-boiled film noir, shot in the setting of a contemporary California high school with high school students as the characters, spouting hard boiled noir dialogue and attitude. The sunny climate and palm trees provide a stark contrast to the grim subject matter of murder, femmes fatale, drugs and dirty deeds. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stands out playing the melancholy misfit gumshoe on the trail of his lost love. The film is really clever and you do have to appreciate the original concept. It does have something of the feel of a pretentious film school project, but the pretentiousness is I think more than compensated for by the original vision. There is one scene where I think it's a bit much, during the early meeting between the protagonist and the Big Boss Villain character, the villain's mother makes an appearance serving them food. It's a funny moment, but the rest of the film is played completely straight so it comes across as an indulgence that's a bit out of place. The cinematography looks pretty good for a film shot on a sub-half million budget. There are some really clever shots such as when one of the femme fatale characters is wearing Kabuki makeup backstage of a theatrical production during a confrontation with the protagonist where we're a bit unsure whether she is weeping or laughing. Where the budget starts to show a bit, I think, is in the editing. The rapid-fire snappy dialogue is often delivered too quickly and too softly to follow, making it easy to lose the fine points of an already convoluted plot. Overall, 3.5/5. I enjoyed it but it will probably require one or two more viewings for me to catch some bits of crucial dialogue and get thoroughly filled in on the plot details. quote:Sunshine - Love Danny Boyle, love sci-fi, not sure how well they mix, just never got around to watching it. Watched: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Brick Zwabu fucked around with this message at 06:17 on Feb 4, 2012 |
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Feb 4, 2012 06:14
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Zwabu, have a go at Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! Almodovar rocks, and this is a lively introduction to his whole artsy-trashy thing. I've been meaning to rewatch that one myself. The Aviator was a solid effort even if not top-tier Scorcese. DiCaprio is a fantastic choice to play Howard Hughes; he does the charismatic playboy well enough, and is frighteningly good when Hughes becomes mentally unhinged later in his life. The film does a good job of showing Hughes as fairly sympathetic, without denying how cold, self-centered and manipulative he was --it makes unsettling parallels between how he regards the women in his life the same way as the planes he's designing; as something exciting, there to be used engineered. Kate Blanchett is terrific as Katherine Hepburn, the only person in the movie who successfully calls Hughes on his poo poo. John C. Reilly, Alec Baldwin and Alan Alda are all good (it's nice seeing Alda playing something in the direction of a bad guy, as a slimy US Senator). As usual in a Scorcese film, the period soundtrack is great and it's a beautiful movie visually, especially the fashion. It's also a nice little history lesson on Hollywood and the aviation industry in the 1930s and '40s. UPDATED LIST: 1. Fallen Angel - I'm not sure I've seen any Preminger other than Laura, which is one of my favorite noirs, so this sounds like a good next step. 2. Querelle - I don't think I've seen any Fassbinder, and I'm interested in queer cinema; I was going to watch this with my housemate but he moved before I got a chance to. 3. Bringing Out The Dead - One of the handful of Scorsese films I haven't seen; I haven't heard much about it but it has Nic Cage so why not. 4. Tokyo Story - I've never seen any Ozu and this is a good place to start, yes? 5. Grey Gardens - Looks like it could be an interesting documentary, I don't know much about it except for the basic premise. 6. 3 Women - I love Altman and this is about the only high-profile Altman film on my to-watch list. 7. Red Sorghum - Zhang Yimou is one of my favorite directors and this was his first film. 8. Harlan County, USA - Picked up the Criterion on sale ages ago, haven't gotten around to it yet. 9. A Dangerous Method - This sounds like such weird territory for a Cronenberg film. 10. The Night Porter - Kinky and emotionally dark, this sounds right up my alley. WATCHED: Rules of the Game (5/5), The 400 Blows (5/5), The Woman in the Window (2/5), A Mighty Wind (4/5), The Aviator (4/5)
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Feb 4, 2012 06:44
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h_double posted:10. The Night Porter - Kinky and emotionally dark, this sounds right up my alley.  Picking it partly to remind myself of its existence after seeing it recommended round these parts. Being John Malkovich was funny, dark, and unforgettable. Somehow I was so focused on it being a Spike Jonze movie that while watching it I actually forgot it was written by Charlie Kaufman despite seeing Adaptation for the first time not long ago, and asked myself "Who could write such a thing?!" So many themes densely and neatly packed into it. I loved the placement of the infamous scene where Malkovich enters his own head, where it was something naturally addressed but was not a climax in the larger story- a lesser movie would probably have made it the point of the whole exercise. Updated list: This Is Spinal Tap- I really have no excuse, except that the DVR hosed up when recording it off TCM, and there's no way I'm going to watch this for the first time on basic cable. Thanks, Netflix streaming, for being there for me, and letting me put this in a queue where I continue to ignore it because I take it for granted, or something. Lethal Weapon- Bit by bit catching up on '80s and '90s action movies, and this is the next big one I've yet to see. Leon (The Professional)- Everyone I know who has seen this loves it. Really looking forward to it, but the fact that it's on DVD and not something I need to get to before it expires from streaming or gets recorded over leads to another taken for granted/lack of urgency situation. La Strada- I've never seen any Fellini. Robin Hood: Men in Tights- Apparently a Mel Brooks classic among my age group, watched by many as young kids who probably shouldn't have watched it, and later a staple of high school band trips. I wasn't in band, so I missed a prime opportunity there. King Kong- I did see this once, but it's been a long time. Like, "back before Remember WENN when AMC talked up film preservation and showed classic American movies and this was one I happened to catch" long time. Since I've only really gotten into classic films in the last couple years, and since it's on the DVR, it is time for a rewatch. Close Encounters of the Third Kind- Replacing one three hour Spielberg film with another. I've caught the ending so many times on TV but have never sat down for the whole thing. Had the DVD for a couple years now, and am no longer averse to 3 hour movies, so the excuses are running out. The Thin Red Line- Replacing one ensemble war movie with another. I haven't seen any Malick. It's in my Netflix queue already, and thanks to the movie poster I found while mucking around for the movie poster thread and someone's subsequent emphatic recommendation, it is now on this list, too. A Streetcar Named Desire- Shameful, like so many others in this thread. How many people get introduced to Elia Kazan through A Face in the Crowd and Splendor in the Grass before any of the work he did with Brando and/or Tennesse Williams? NEW! On the Waterfront- Kind of goes hand-in-hand with Streetcar, doesn't it? My only exposure is the famous monologue. (previous post)
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Feb 4, 2012 07:08
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Discount Viscount, go see Leon. Don't watch it with family though, that gets awkward. Fistful of Dollars This film is an incredible, classic Western experience. It differs from TGTB&TU by having it's focus on a divided town, rather than a journey. The overarching motivation in this film is also not money, but some sort of moral journey to rid the town of evil. It is a pretty interesting film overall, though it feels longer in the second half than the first. Clint Eastwood is amazing in this - probably my favourite role of his so far. He behaves in the most arrogant and intelligent manner, suiting the role very well. The cinematography is really gorgeous, but as with TGTB&TU, the sound is really bad - the dubbing and some of the sound effects have really not aged well. That said, the music is amazing. It doesn't reach the heights of the grand finale of TGTB&TU, but it's alright, seeing as that scene is probably the best use of music in a film. Morricone's sound tracks have an ability to create something incredible out of dramatic situations, something I'll never tire of. Overall a solid film, slightly brought down by aged audio. 3.5/4 My list: The Conversation I’ve had this for absolutely ages, but I’ve never gotten around to watching it. I’m pretty sure I’d enjoy it; it sounds like my kind of film. Citizen Kane Despite this being widely acclaimed as one of, if not the greatest film of all time, I’ve never gotten around to it. I remember reading about it about two years ago, how it wasn’t impressive for first time views anymore, which kind of discouraged me. Predator, Commando, The Terminator I was never very fond of 80s action films, so these have never been high on my list of films to watch. I did enjoy the second Terminator film, though. Same as above. Psycho I fear that it will be really ineffective after all these years. Double Indemnity I started it once, but the video quality was rather jarring – the 4:3, the low bitrate and black and white. For a Few Dollars More To Live and Die in LA I got about half-way in when I thought it was just too 80s – poor sound effects and cheesy deaths. I hear it gets really good later, though. The Wild Bunch I have a presumption of the old western films as being really cheesy stuff, but I hit me that I’ve seen no more than 5-6 Westerns, the oldest one TGTBTU (now Fistful Dollars) and the rest being from 1990 and upwards. Seen: Fistful of Dollars 3.5/4
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Feb 4, 2012 12:28
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h_double posted:Kate Blanchett is terrific as Katherine Hepburn
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Feb 4, 2012 19:09
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I think she's my favorite thing about that movie.
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Feb 4, 2012 19:28
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Magic Hate Ball posted:I think she's my favorite thing about that movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVWgQkik_nY
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Feb 4, 2012 19:33
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Hey csidle, why not swing around the Bates Motel, I've heard some good things about that place. Go watch Psycho! Pleasantville starts out like an episode of The Twilight Zone, and it has that same sort of scrutinizing, if not very subtle, social commentary that a lot of good science fiction has. The moral of the story reminded me a bit of Midnight in Paris, in that it encourages an awareness of the good things in life, and I don't mind that it emphasizes this point a bit strongly at times, because it's a nice thing to be reminded of. I also liked the frank and positive view the movie had on sex (this is a weird sentence, but that was the sweetest masturbation scene I've ever seen). I'm glad someone forced me to see this, it was a real treat. Need to see: 1. Trafic - I've seen Mr Hulot's Holiday and Playtime, but never this. My grandma's a big fan of Tati, so I should. 2. 2001 - A Space Odyssey - I've seen this before, but I was twelve. I remember thinking it was 'lame and stupid'. 3. Dark City - I've thought about seeing this so many times, but I never seem to be in the mood. 4. Fantastic Planet - Some really groovy animation and a score by Alain Goraguer. Sounds amazing. 5. The Departed - I sometimes get Matt Damon and Leo DiCaprio mixed up, so this looks like a nightmare. 6. Almost Famous - Movies about music is a favorite genre of mine, so this should be great. 7. Doctor Zhivago - Omar Sharif is a very handsome man. 8. Citizen Kane - I think this is a case of having had the movie so hyped up that I feel like I'll be disappointed when I finally see it. 9. The Night of the Hunter - The stuff I've heard about this ranges from 'intense' to 'silly'. Figured I should give it a try myself. 10. A Streetcar Named Desire - I started watching this, but halfway through I managed to slice my palm open with a fruit knife and had to leave to get stitches. Have seen: Chinatown, North By Northwest, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Persona, Easy Rider, Casablanca, City of God, Predator, Modern Times, Amadeus, Hoop Dreams, The Hustler, The Apartment, Punch Drunk Love, Hard Eight, The French Connection, Pleasantville MIDWIFE CRISIS fucked around with this message at 19:53 on Feb 4, 2012 |
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Feb 4, 2012 19:51
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Electra Glide in Blue is a solid '70s character piece. I love the shaggy dog nature of crime movies from the era - it's 40 minutes until the crime in this one. John Wintergreen is a captivating character. He's an officious prick when we meet him, but he resolves into a sensitive and melancholy man. The wide canvases are beautiful. It's a shame Guercio never did anything else. Admiral Goodenough, just bite the bullet and watch Citizen Kane. It's fun and witty ad very pretty, and if you want to know why it's so well-regarded, the DVD commentary is a great starting point. New list: The Man from Nowhere Doesn't have Lee Byung-hun, but whaddaya gonna do. The Darjeeling Limited I have never enjoyed a Wes Anderson movie, but I feel obligated to watch them. Deep Red Two hour version or hour and a half version? Gentlemen Prefer Blondes I don't... Man's Castle Borzage crazy. My Brother's Wedding So there's a director's cut that's like a half hour shorter? Which should I see? new: Ils or The Strangers Hear good stuff about these two, but French extremism turns me off. Apocalypto This is good, right? Montenegro or Sweet Movie I loved WR and the Eclipse set, but I've avoided Sweet Movie because I heard it sucks and Montenegro because the poster is crap. Szerelem This looks fantastic, but somehow I can't get myself to sit down for it. Finished from this thread: Au Hasard Balthazar (8/10), In the Mood for Love (8.5/10), La Dolce Vita (6.5/10), Anatomy of Murder (9/10), The Grand Illusion (9/10), Ben-Hur (8.5/10), Gone with the Wind (9/10), Black Orpheus (8/10), The Departed (4/10), Midnight Cowboy (5/10), The Red Shoes (9.5/10), Harvey (8.5/10), M. Hulot's Holiday (7.5/10), Trouble in Paradise (8/10), Ugetsu Monogatari (8/10), All That Heaven Allows (9.5/10), Blow-Up (8/10), If... (8/10), The Bad & The Beautiful (7.5/10). Autumn Sonata (9/10), Harold and Maude (3.5/10), L'Atalante (8/10), Anticipation of the Night (8.5/10), Cleo from 5 to 7 (8/10), Wavelength (7/10), Saddle the Wind (7/10), Partie de campagne (7.5/10), My Neighbor Totoro (7/10), Shadows (8/10), Odd Man Out (8/10), Don't Look Now (8/10), Dead Ringers (7.5/10), Written on the Wind (8.5/10), My Winnipeg (8/10), On Dangerous Ground (8.5/10), The King of Comedy (8.5/10), Berlin Express (7/10), The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (8.5/10), 3 Women (8.5/10). Harakiri (9.5/10), Zelig (7.5/10), Veronika Voss (7.5/10), Late Spring (8/10), Soldier of Orange (7/10), Vivre Sa Vie (8.5/10), The American Friend (7.5/10), The Endless Sumer (7.5/10), Yesterday Girl (7.5/10), Battleground (8/10), Two-Lane Blacktop (8/10), Chimes at Midnight (9/10), Trash Humpers (6/10), The Docks of New York (9/10), The Fallen Idol (9/10), Fires on the Plain (9/10), Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea (7.5/10), The Americanization of Emily (8.5/10), I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (8/10), The Mirror (8.5/10), The Thin Man (8.5/10), Danger: Diabolik (7.5/10), Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (7.5/10), Black God White Devil (8/10), Little Fugitive (8/10), Drunken Angel (7.5/10), Funeral Parade of Roses (9/10), How to Train Your Dragon (8/10), Across 110th Street (7.5/10), The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting (8/10), The Wind (8.5), Portrait of Jennie (7/10), Primer (8/10), To Catch a Thief (8/10), The Fantastic Mr. Fox (4/10), Getrud (8.5/10), Our Hospitality (9/10), Les Diaboliques (8/10), The Awful Truth (8/10), Duel in the Sun (6.5/10), A Guy Named Joe (6/10), Quiet City (5/10), People on Sunday (8.5/10), Nothing but a Man (8.5/10), Spring Summer Winter Fall and Spring (8/10), Comradship (7.5/10), Too Early, Too Late (4/10), Wooden Crosses (7.5/10), White Zombie (8.5/10), No Highway in the Sky (8/10), The Wanderers (8.5/10), My Son My Son What Have Ye Done (7/10), Our Town (9/10), The Winning of Barbara Worth (8/10), Red Riding 1974 (7/10), Grand Hotel (8/10), Rapt (8/10), The Champ (7/10), Red Beard (8.5/10), Rendez-vous d'Anna (8/10), Two Thousand Maniacs! (7/10), The Old Dark House (7.5/10), The Tarnished Angels (8/10), Ordet (9/10), Pigs and Battleships (8/10), The Naked City (8/10), The Ninth Configuration (4/10), Sling Blade (8.5/10), Le Trou (8.5/10), I Know Where I'm Going! (7.5/10), The Hangover (7.5/10), Body Heat (7.5/10), Night Moves (8.5/10), The Earrings of Madame De... (8/10), Toto, Peppino, e la Malafemmina (7/10), Short Cuts (9/10), The Mystery of Picasso (8/10), The Wisdom of Crocodiles (6.5/10), To Be or Not to Be (9/10), Barfly (5.5/10), Billy Liar (8/10), Hana-bi (7.5/10), The Fighter (8/10), Cop Land (8/10), Cairo Station (8.5/10), Beware of a Holy Whore (8/10) That Obscure Object of Desire (8.5/10), The Structure of Crystals (8.5/10), Farewell, My Lovely (8/10), The Blue Angel (7.5.10), Amadeus (8/10), A Time to Love and a Time to Die (8.5/10), Mike's Murder (8/10), I Saw the Devil (7/10), Advise and Consent (8/10), Little Man, What Now? (8.5/10), Outrage (7.5/10), Electra Glide in Blue (8/10) Total: 137 Best: All That Heaven Allows Worst: Harold and Maude
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Feb 4, 2012 20:17
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penismightier posted:Gentlemen Prefer Blondes I don't... Sansho the Bailiff is quite a beautiful film, with its precise mise en scène that frames the natural landscape around the characters and its rich & delicate grey tones. Yet it also left me emotionally numb, mainly because of how the plot advanced and the 'big' performances of the actors. I think every other scene of the movie has the characters openly weeping over some new hardship, ultimately blunting the impact of the tragedy1. Of course, people in real life would cry as much if the events depicted had actually happened to them2, but the film is nothing but misery and dire circumstances. I think an old adage comes into play here: if everything is tragic, then nothing is tragic. So, I would've preferred something, anything to leaven the anguish. But that would probably ruin Mizoguchi's conception of the film as a poem of sorrow. Therefore, I just have to concede that the film is not to my taste. 1. The water suicide is by far the best & most effective scene in the film and has none of the issues I'm complaining about. It is also, to me (so far), the most elegant suicide ever captured on film (eat you heart out Mouchette). 2. It's interesting that the film notes that the story is from a time before human beings were treated like human beings, but, of course, people still treat each other like poo poo in this day and age. I think Mizoguchi was being a bit cheeky there. 3 Women - More Altman that's available to me, hooray Ace in the Hole - Vicious Billy Wilder satire? Sign me up! L'Avventura - I love L'Eclisse, so let's see the film that made Antonioni a force in world cinema. An Autumn Afternoon - I've burned through nearly all of the single Ozu releases, as well as the Silent and Late Ozu boxsets. Let's finish up what I have (until I inevitably buy that combo-pack of The Only Son/There Was a Father). Cutter's Way - A critic I enjoy reading said this was his favorite film of the 80s. I probably won't agree with him, but it's obscurity intrigues me and hey, Jeff Bridges. Ikiru - I think I've left this unwatched the last 3 times I've taken it out of the library, so I've decided to give you the power to force me to watch it now. The Magnificent Ambersons - Welles is always worth a watch, even if compromised. My Dinner with Andre - I blind-bought this before the Community episode.  The Thin Red Line - I'll have technically seen all of Malick's features once I see this. Wooden Crosses - I blind-bought the Bernard Eclipse set on the basis that this obscure French film about WWI was some kind of hidden gem. Now, I'll be motivated to see if this was true or not. Shameless: Days of Heaven, McCabe & Mrs. Miller
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Feb 4, 2012 21:33
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I probably was too hard on Yojimbo, and I think I’ll change the rating to 3.5. Sanjuro kind of reminds me of Rick from Casablanca, in that he appears to be a selfish cynic at first, but ends up being a good guy (though Rick tried to avoid the war, while Sanjuro jumped right in). Also, I don’t think everything he did was for a specific purpose. A lot of his actions were improvised, but that’s good- he didn’t have every detail planned out, he was playing Xanatos Speed Chess, which actually shows him more believably intelligent. He is a compelling character, even though he didn’t have a real character arc. But I still say I needed to see more suffering from the gang war to care whether Sanjuro succeeded or not. It’s like Plinkett said in his review of Revenge of the Sith- you should have seen the Republic suffering, traffic slowing, buildings in disrepair, etc. or else you wonder what the point of the fight is. Ikiru will probably be the next Kurosawa I add to the list, but I don't like seeing two movies by the same director in a row (unless it's a series). But you can watch it, a radii hike. Brazil was something, all right. I liked Sam’s character arc, from a man of quiet desperation to a fighter against the system. The world was well-designed- rather than Orwell’s frightening control, it was more like a numbing, mundane control. People accepted the need for control so thoroughly that they screened out all of the disasters around them, which were strongly implied to be the work of the government. A lot of the plot was hard to understand, but that’s not a bad thing. This was a straight up mind screw, especially the ending. I guess the last fifteen minutes was all a hallucination- or was the whole movie? He tended to imagine he was involved in fantastic battles throughout, and so it was hard to tell where fantasy ended and reality began- typical in this sort of movie. I didn’t fully understand it, but I still enjoyed it, both the freaky visuals and the dark humor. What does the title mean, though? They were singing a song about Brazil throughout the movie, but why? Oh, and DeNiro literally dropped into this movie- he’s everywhere. Rating: 3.5/4 9. The Aviator - More from that Scorsese clown. This one isn't as much a must see as some of the others, but it's added shame because it's another one that I own but haven't seen (there's probably another five movies like that, but most of them are more obscure). I bought it for three bucks about four years ago when a local video store went out of business and I've never taken it out of the box. 24. The Great Dictator- I think this Chaplin kid may be going somewhere. Maybe I should take a look at one of his movies. 26. Battleship Potemkin- I have no idea what this is about- is it Russian, I think? I don't know, but it's on so many best of all time lists that I figure I should put it on mine. 27. Gattaca- Another on the embarrassingly long "owned but not watched" list. This is sci-fi, I think having something to do when genetic engineering? I was thinking maybe it was a prison, but that's Attica. As you can see, I'm mostly blind on this one. 28. Sophie's Choice- I really have no idea what this is, but I've seen it referenced a lot lately. I'm not sure why, but I figure there must be a reason. 29. Gandhi- Bald Ben Kingsley takes on the British Empire. P.S. Ben Kingsley is British. Sure, why not. 30. Platoon- "Hey, dad, I made a Vietnam movie, too!" "That's nice, Charlie." "Ah, screw you! I'm gonna go snort coke off a hooker's rear end." Also the Green Goblin is in this. 34. Hamlet- I've never seen nor read any version of this (unless you count The Lion King). I think I tried reading it once, and failed. Shakespeare was meant to be watched. When I try to read it, I get bogged down trying to understand all the archaic words, but when I'm viewing it, the momentum helps me understand the action even if I miss some of the dialogue. That's what happened with Kenneth Branagh's excellent version of Much Ado About Nothing, so I'll go with his version of Hamlet as well. 36. My Dinner with Andre- This stars Wallace Shawn. I liked the movie where he kidnapped princesses with Andre, but he died in that one... I assume this is a prequel? 37. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid- The fall's gonna kill you, and something about the Bolivian Army  in the end. That's all I know about this one. William Goldman talked about writing this in the introduction to Princess Bride- sounded good.Okay, tell me what I’m watching! Shame relieved: The Godfather: 3.5/4, The Godfather Part II: 4/4, Taxi Driver: 4/4, Casablanca: 4/4, Duck Soup: 2/4, Pulp Fiction: 4/4, Barton Fink: 3.5/4, Annie Hall:3/4, Rashomon: 4/4, Blade Runner: 3.5/4, Chinatown: 4/4, Nashville: 3.5/4, Goodfellas: 4/4, The Seven Samurai: 4/4, Superman: 2/4, The Exorcist: 3/4, A Face in the Crowd: 3.5/4, The Seventh Seal: 2.5/4, Treasure of the Sierra Madre: 3.5/4, Apocalypse Now: 4/4, 2001: A Space Odyssey: 2.5/4, The Deer Hunter: 3/4, Schindler's List: 4/4, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: 3/4, Young Frankenstein: 3.5/4, Yojimbo: 3.5/4, Brazil: 3.5/4 Jurgan fucked around with this message at 02:54 on Feb 5, 2012 |
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Feb 4, 2012 23:59
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Jurgan posted:Brazil was something, all right. I liked Sam’s character arc, from a man of quiet desperation to a fighter against the system. The world was well-designed- rather than Orwell’s frightening control, it was more like a numbing, mundane control. People accepted the need for control so thoroughly that they screened out all of the disasters around them, which were strongly implied to be the work of the government. A lot of the plot was hard to understand, but that’s not a bad thing. This was a straight up mind screw, especially the ending. I guess the last fifteen minutes was all a hallucination- or was the whole movie? He tended to imagine he was involved in fantastic battles throughout, and so it was hard to tell where fantasy ended and reality began- typical in this sort of movie. I didn’t fully understand it, but I still enjoyed it, both the freaky visuals and the dark humor. What does the title mean, though? They were singing a song about Brazil throughout the movie, but why? Oh, and DeNiro literally dropped into this movie- he’s everywhere. The film is called after the song "Brazil" which plays several times during the film. It was a song written during the 1940's in Brazil, so the people could forget about the horrible things going on in the country and celebrate life, nature and imagination for a brief time. Reality and fantasy play a big part in Gilliam's films, often it's hard to separate both, in some occasions it's the same thing. In Brazil's case I think there is a push for imagination to soar above the oppressive government. It's just a really dark film.
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Feb 5, 2012 00:36
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Jurgan, give Branagh's Hamlet a try -- it's a good production and he's scene chewingly awesome as the lead. The Night Porter is a fascinating, sexy, and disquieting film. Max (Dirk Bogarde) is a former SS officer living in Vienna in 1957, working as a hotel night clerk, and in communication with a small cabal of other Nazis. A symphony conductor checks in, whose wife Max recognizes as Lucia (Charlotte Rampling), a concentration camp prisoner that he had taken in as his "little girl" during the war. There's a lot going on here, between Max and Lucia's interactions, Max's cat-and-mouse games with the other Nazis, and broader themes including forbidden "outlaw" love (there are several parallels drawn to gay themes), and how people cope with intolerable and insane situations. Max and Lucia are both fascinating character studies and there's a lot to think about here. UPDATED LIST: 1. Fallen Angel - I'm not sure I've seen any Preminger other than Laura, which is one of my favorite noirs, so this sounds like a good next step. 2. Querelle - I don't think I've seen any Fassbinder, and I'm interested in queer cinema; I was going to watch this with my housemate but he moved before I got a chance to. 3. Bringing Out The Dead - One of the handful of Scorsese films I haven't seen; I haven't heard much about it but it has Nic Cage so why not. 4. Tokyo Story - I've never seen any Ozu and this is a good place to start, yes? 5. Grey Gardens - Looks like it could be an interesting documentary, I don't know much about it except for the basic premise. 6. 3 Women - I love Altman and this is about the only high-profile Altman film on my to-watch list. 7. Red Sorghum - Zhang Yimou is one of my favorite directors and this was his first film. 8. Harlan County, USA - Picked up the Criterion on sale ages ago, haven't gotten around to it yet. 9. A Dangerous Method - This sounds like such weird territory for a Cronenberg film. 10. Dr. Strangelove - legitimately shameful I haven't seen it all the way through. It was one of my dad's favorite movies when I was a kid, but it's a hard sell for an 8 year old kid and I never got around to revisiting it. WATCHED: Rules of the Game (5/5), The 400 Blows (5/5), The Woman in the Window (2/5), A Mighty Wind (4/5), The Aviator (4/5), The Night Porter (5/5)
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Feb 5, 2012 03:50
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h_double posted:Jurgan, give Branagh's Hamlet a try -- it's a good production and he's scene chewingly awesome as the lead. Question: Netflix has a DVD of this that is listed as 158 minutes. However, imdb lists the runtime as 242 minutes. Obviously, that's a pretty significant difference. Should I get the 158 minute version or hold out for the uncut? If so, where can I find it? h_double posted:10. Dr. Strangelove - legitimately shameful I haven't seen it all the way through. It was one of my dad's favorite movies when I was a kid, but it's a hard sell for an 8 year old kid and I never got around to revisiting it. This is one of my favorite movies ever- sadly, I can't make a recommendation right now.
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Feb 5, 2012 04:11
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Jurgan posted:Question: Netflix has a DVD of this that is listed as 158 minutes. However, imdb lists the runtime as 242 minutes. Obviously, that's a pretty significant difference. Should I get the 158 minute version or hold out for the uncut? If so, where can I find it? I've only ever seen the shorter cut, but the 4 hour director's cut does sound awesome and I'm half tempted to track it down myself. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116477/alternateversions
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Feb 5, 2012 04:24
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Hah, I was making the same assignment anyway!h_double posted:10. Dr. Strangelove - legitimately shameful I haven't seen it all the way through. It was one of my dad's favorite movies when I was a kid, but it's a hard sell for an 8 year old kid and I never got around to revisiting it. Yes. Yes it is shameful. As Mooj in "40 Year Old Virgin" said, "Holy poo poo man, you got to get on that." Well I did watch Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! and was really pleased to be introduced to the work of a director who's been around forever but whose work I'd never seen, that lives up to the hype. A young Antonio Banderas is Ricky, a pleasant but odd fellow who has spent the majority of his life in and out of reformatories and mental institutions (mostly in). Having just been found "normal" (his asylum director knows better) and released into society, he immediately heads straight out to implement his plan for starting a life and a family that's been in his mind for years - by kidnapping the B-movie actress and recovering junkie that he's worshiped ever since a random sexual encounter in the past, and making her his captive. The story eventually heads down a somewhat predictable Stockholm syndrome path, but is pretty unique in how it gets there. Ricky does some detestable things, but both he and the actress are genuinely sympathetic characters. One can't help but feel that the chain of events the abduction sets in motion must end badly, it can't turn out well... can it? It's not clear to me whether Ricky's abduction and imprisonment of his love is meant to be metaphorical about the implicit types of coercion that exist in love and marriage that DON'T involve physical bondage, or whether it's a more general statement about the perverse compulsive nature of attraction, sex and love, or just simply an odd tale about an odd fellow who could only conceive of this one way to reach out to the woman that he loves. The film is filled with humorous dialogue and one really steamy sex scene. It's well shot and gorgeous looking with a first rate Morricone score that really accentuates a really emotionally rich film. Great performances by the leads, and really strong supporting roles from the woman who plays the actress' sister and the lecherous director of the B-movie. 5/5 Sunshine - Love Danny Boyle, love sci-fi, not sure how well they mix, just never got around to watching it. Y Tu Mama Tambien - Had started watching this a couple of times, liked it but just hadn't made it through. Un Chien Andalou - legendary surrealist stuff that I just haven't gotten around to watching. The Battleship Potemkin - Old classic I just haven't gotten around to. The Third Man Harold and Maude The 39 Steps Quills - Geoffrey Rush as the Marquis de Sade. Really, what's not to like? Super Troopers - is this actually funny or is it more that everyone who saw it was high at the time? Hobo With a Shotgun - is this actually any good, or is it more the idea of Rutger Hauer as a hobo, with a shotgun? Watched: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Brick, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!
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Feb 5, 2012 04:35
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fenix down posted:Have you seen Hudsucker Proxy? She's one of my favorite parts about that movie! She does the role pitch perfect!
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Feb 5, 2012 04:51
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Electronico6 posted:The film is called after the song "Brazil" which plays several times during the film. It was a song written during the 1940's in Brazil, so the people could forget about the horrible things going on in the country and celebrate life, nature and imagination for a brief time. Reality and fantasy play a big part in Gilliam's films, often it's hard to separate both, in some occasions it's the same thing. In Brazil's case I think there is a push for imagination to soar above the oppressive government. It's just a really dark film. I love the story behind the song: Gilliam was in some industrial seaside town in England and he was on a beach that was covered with soot, everything was black, but there was a guy in a metal beach chair with a radio playing Brazil, staring out at the sunset. That really says everything about the film. Also, Jurgan, if you liked the film but found it confusing it stands up really, really well to a re-watch, particularly if you see one of the other cuts (but not the 90-minute one, except for comedy value). The dream/fantasy really begins when Sam is in the torture chair and the guys come down from the ceiling. Also note that everything in the film is sort of reverse-engineered, like the computers (tiny screen with a magnifying glass) and the telephone (do-it-yourself operator board) and how the pipes are displayed in the various social classes (omnipresent and oppressive in the lower class, hidden behind the walls in the middle class, subtly present in the classy apartments of the Old Money [some of the pipes actually go through the artwork]). Also note that there's really no leader in the film's society, which separates it from most dystopian fiction. It's just a vortex of beaurocracy.
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Feb 5, 2012 06:22
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Magic Hate Ball posted:The dream/fantasy really begins when Sam is in the torture chair and the guys come down from the ceiling. That's what I figured- it's the obvious answer- but I wouldn't be surprised if there were alternate interpretations. Everything else you said makes a lot of sense, and seems relevant to today in a way 1984 may not be- the problems with democracy today are ingrained in society, not enforced by a single leader. It was definitely an interesting movie, with a lot to think about.
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Feb 5, 2012 15:38
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h_double posted:I've only ever seen the shorter cut, but the 4 hour director's cut does sound awesome and I'm half tempted to track it down myself. You both need to watch the unabridged version. poo poo, I didn't even know they released an edited edition. So much to love in that movie.
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Feb 5, 2012 15:48
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That was the big selling point of that Hamlet, that it was the full unabridged text. I'm actually surprised they released an edited version at all.
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Feb 5, 2012 15:50
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Kull the Conqueror posted:You both need to watch the unabridged version. poo poo, I didn't even know they released an edited edition. So much to love in that movie. But I can't find it. Netflix only seems to have the short version, and I don't know about buying it... I guess I could...
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Feb 5, 2012 16:43
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Jurgan posted:But I can't find it. Netflix only seems to have the short version, and I don't know about buying it... I guess I could... Can't you watch it through Amazon's renting service? http://www.amazon.com/Hamlet/dp/B000HKYBXA/ref=sr_1_2_vod_0_lgo?ie=UTF8&qid=1328457285&sr=8-2 Electronico6 fucked around with this message at 17:02 on Feb 5, 2012 |
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Feb 5, 2012 16:55
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Netflix has gone too far this time! 
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Feb 5, 2012 17:30
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I don't think there ever was an abridged version released on DVD, Netflix may be mistaken (not for the first time - on the same page they report the Blu-ray's aspect ratio as 1.78:1).
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Feb 5, 2012 17:46
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Well, I was able to find it through... er, other means. So, when I get a chance...
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Feb 5, 2012 20:22
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Zwabu, watch Harold and Maude. I really enjoy it. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - Listening to despicable people drunkenly bicker for 2 hours is the only fair way to describe this movie. I recognize the quality in Taylor's performance, but that didn't make her annoying character any easier to tolerate (in fact it probably made it harder). This movie has a unique style and is well shot, but it's utterly obnoxious and relentlessly unpleasant. 55/100 List: Cinema Paradiso - I know very little about this. On the Waterfront - I like Brando so I have no hesitation to watch this. Witness for the Prosecution - I know nothing about this. Ben-Hur - I'll be honest, I'm not looking forward to this one very much. Looks a tad hokey from what I've seen, and it's very long. The Best Years of Our Lives - The only Wyler film I've seen is The Collector and I didn't much care for it, but I have a feeling this is going to be much better. La Strada - I've seen a couple Fellini movies and loved both of them. Anxious to watch this. Fanny and Alexander - This is definitely my most shameful currently on my list. I own the DVD, I love Bergman, and I even started watching it once and got side tracked. Someone please make me watch this. A Streetcar Named Desire - Will this be as good as the Simpsons musical version? Rocky - Yeah that's right, I've never seen Rocky. Sue me. All Quiet on the Western Front - Looks good.
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Feb 6, 2012 00:43
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caiman, give La Strada a try, it's one of Fellini's more accessible films, and a wonderful little character drama. Dr. Strangelove was terrific. The nice thing about it having taken so long for me to get around to watching it is that I picked up on more of the political satire, and have a better eye for some of the themes that run through Kubrick's films -- especially the idea of the social "machinery" of war, and how humanity can get swallowed up by that machinery. I love the rhythms in Kubrick's films, and some of the scenes, like where General Turgidson is briefing the President in the War Room, and it cuts back and forth between closeups of the general and long shots of the whole room, are really mesmerizing. It's a wildly funny movie too of course. Peter Sellers is absolutely at the top of his game, and George C. Scott should have done more comic roles because he's also hilarious. Sterling Hayden and Slim Pickens are also great. A lot of the satire still feels more timely than ever, and I especially like how global disaster is brought about, not by megalomania or hatred, but rather by incompetence and pettiness (the scene at the end where they are excitedly talking about breeding harems in the mineshaft is wonderful). UPDATED LIST: 1. Fallen Angel - I'm not sure I've seen any Preminger other than Laura, which is one of my favorite noirs, so this sounds like a good next step. 2. Querelle - I don't think I've seen any Fassbinder, and I'm interested in queer cinema; I was going to watch this with my housemate but he moved before I got a chance to. 3. Bringing Out The Dead - One of the handful of Scorsese films I haven't seen; I haven't heard much about it but it has Nic Cage so why not. 4. Tokyo Story - I've never seen any Ozu and this is a good place to start, yes? 5. Grey Gardens - Looks like it could be an interesting documentary, I don't know much about it except for the basic premise. 6. 3 Women - I love Altman and this is about the only high-profile Altman film on my to-watch list. 7. Red Sorghum - Zhang Yimou is one of my favorite directors and this was his first film. 8. Harlan County, USA - Picked up the Criterion on sale ages ago, haven't gotten around to it yet. 9. A Dangerous Method - This sounds like such weird territory for a Cronenberg film. 10. Day of Wrath - Dreyer is my favorite silent film director (not that I've seen a ton of silents) and I'm curious to see what he can do with talkies. WATCHED: Rules of the Game (5/5), The 400 Blows (5/5), The Woman in the Window (2/5), A Mighty Wind (4/5), The Aviator (4/5), The Night Porter (5/5), Dr. Strangelove (5/5)
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Feb 6, 2012 06:37
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Don't know why I've never come into this thread before. Such a a great idea! h_double watch Tokyo Story. The cinematography is fantastic and it's a good introduction to Ozu. Here's my list, hopefully this'll help me get through my Netflix queue faster! 1. Marathon Man - I've seen endless parodies of this, but I've never actually seen it. Also, Roy Schieder impresses me in everything I've seen him in. 2. Hour of the Wolf - Loved The Seventh Seal and Persona, so I think it's about time for some more Bergman. 3. Patton - Again, countless parodies, but Patton seems like a fascinating guy. 4. Matinee - As a William Castle fan, this sounds right up my alley. 5. Butch Cassidy and the Sunday Kid - Watched The Sting a few months ago and really enjoyed it. Paul Newman and Robert Redford can't be beat! 6. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer - Always been interested in this. 7. Alice - I'm always down for a spin on Alice In Wonderland. Little Otik was okay, but this looks like it focuses more on the stop motion element. 8. Barfly - I've enjoyed the Bukowski that I've read, and it's been sitting on my hard drive for a while. 9. All the President's Men - Love political thriller movies, but somehow have never seen this. 10. The Driver - Heard this movie was a huge inspiration for Drive, which I loved.
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Feb 6, 2012 07:17
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caiman posted:Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - Listening to despicable people drunkenly bicker for 2 hours is the only fair way to describe this movie. I recognize the quality in Taylor's performance, but that didn't make her annoying character any easier to tolerate (in fact it probably made it harder). This movie has a unique style and is well shot, but it's utterly obnoxious and relentlessly unpleasant. 55/100 Obviously as the recommender, I think you're really underselling it. Sandy Dennis, not Taylor, puts in both the best performance and the crucial one. Here's a good starting point: quote:What's often read as an audience surrogate, then (the young couple played wonderfully by professional lapdog George Segal (as a fledgling teacher dipping a toe in the academic shark tank) and Sandy Dennis as his befuddled, prone-to-hysteria wife), is better read as a cookie-cutter version of our torturers, infected by George and Martha's illness in the same way a tarantula is infected by a wasp's egg. Ambition and desire are handled in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in the same way they are in "Othello", another matrimonial drama, though the Iago of Nichols' film is our own insupportable curiosity. Ernest Lehman's script preserves Albee's contemptuous fluency and Tayton, sensing the right avatars, deliver the goods with something very much like pain. Although Dennis will fly into eternity on her interpretive dance in a closed-down honkytonk, much of the doom of the piece hangs on the revelation that her Honey can't carry a child and is doomed, like Martha, to birth a string of barbed-wire spleen fathered by betrayal, disappointment, perhaps astonishment that all the civilization of the modern world could be mustered to deliver velvet, elegant savagery. Transforming the film into a thing of resonance instead of merely wrath is the bedrock truth, unshakeable, that Tayton love each other, understand each other, and that nothing will save them despite everything, so long as they're addicted to a public that would suck them dry if it could. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? sloshes alcohol around in scary draughts, but its junkies looking for an angry fix are jonesing for a dirty shunt and a crusty bucket (so it's convenient that the shunt and bucket are restless and ravenous). It's celebrity as horror film, as an act of embalming, as a relationship between two parties (us and them) cooperating in the implosion of any respect for boundaries and basic moral propriety. What a rush. It's an incredibly layered film/play, which I've watched and read dozens of times and STILL don't think I've fully mined. I'd still rather gently caress a brunette, but Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is fun. I have trouble with classical musicals because I hate that chintzy Rodgers and Hammerstein sound, but this was endearingly jazzy. Toe-tappin'. Monroe was, as usual, magnetic, but the real coup here was Jane Russell, who's hilarious and lovely as an utterly determined fuckmachine. The technicolor camerawork is magnificent - there's some exteriors of the cruise ship which are jaw-dropping. It's fluff, but perfect fluff. melvinthemopboy, welcome to the thread, and try Patton on for size. New list: The Man from Nowhere Doesn't have Lee Byung-hun, but whaddaya gonna do. The Darjeeling Limited I have never enjoyed a Wes Anderson movie, but I feel obligated to watch them. Deep Red Two hour version or hour and a half version? new: Senso Always up for a melodrama. Man's Castle Borzage crazy. My Brother's Wedding So there's a director's cut that's like a half hour shorter? Which should I see? Ils or The Strangers Hear good stuff about these two, but French extremism turns me off. Apocalypto This is good, right? Montenegro or Sweet Movie I loved WR and the Eclipse set, but I've avoided Sweet Movie because I heard it sucks and Montenegro because the poster is crap. Szerelem This looks fantastic, but somehow I can't get myself to sit down for it. Finished from this thread: Au Hasard Balthazar (8/10), In the Mood for Love (8.5/10), La Dolce Vita (6.5/10), Anatomy of Murder (9/10), The Grand Illusion (9/10), Ben-Hur (8.5/10), Gone with the Wind (9/10), Black Orpheus (8/10), The Departed (4/10), Midnight Cowboy (5/10), The Red Shoes (9.5/10), Harvey (8.5/10), M. Hulot's Holiday (7.5/10), Trouble in Paradise (8/10), Ugetsu Monogatari (8/10), All That Heaven Allows (9.5/10), Blow-Up (8/10), If... (8/10), The Bad & The Beautiful (7.5/10). Autumn Sonata (9/10), Harold and Maude (3.5/10), L'Atalante (8/10), Anticipation of the Night (8.5/10), Cleo from 5 to 7 (8/10), Wavelength (7/10), Saddle the Wind (7/10), Partie de campagne (7.5/10), My Neighbor Totoro (7/10), Shadows (8/10), Odd Man Out (8/10), Don't Look Now (8/10), Dead Ringers (7.5/10), Written on the Wind (8.5/10), My Winnipeg (8/10), On Dangerous Ground (8.5/10), The King of Comedy (8.5/10), Berlin Express (7/10), The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (8.5/10), 3 Women (8.5/10). Harakiri (9.5/10), Zelig (7.5/10), Veronika Voss (7.5/10), Late Spring (8/10), Soldier of Orange (7/10), Vivre Sa Vie (8.5/10), The American Friend (7.5/10), The Endless Sumer (7.5/10), Yesterday Girl (7.5/10), Battleground (8/10), Two-Lane Blacktop (8/10), Chimes at Midnight (9/10), Trash Humpers (6/10), The Docks of New York (9/10), The Fallen Idol (9/10), Fires on the Plain (9/10), Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea (7.5/10), The Americanization of Emily (8.5/10), I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (8/10), The Mirror (8.5/10), The Thin Man (8.5/10), Danger: Diabolik (7.5/10), Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (7.5/10), Black God White Devil (8/10), Little Fugitive (8/10), Drunken Angel (7.5/10), Funeral Parade of Roses (9/10), How to Train Your Dragon (8/10), Across 110th Street (7.5/10), The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting (8/10), The Wind (8.5), Portrait of Jennie (7/10), Primer (8/10), To Catch a Thief (8/10), The Fantastic Mr. Fox (4/10), Getrud (8.5/10), Our Hospitality (9/10), Les Diaboliques (8/10), The Awful Truth (8/10), Duel in the Sun (6.5/10), A Guy Named Joe (6/10), Quiet City (5/10), People on Sunday (8.5/10), Nothing but a Man (8.5/10), Spring Summer Winter Fall and Spring (8/10), Comradship (7.5/10), Too Early, Too Late (4/10), Wooden Crosses (7.5/10), White Zombie (8.5/10), No Highway in the Sky (8/10), The Wanderers (8.5/10), My Son My Son What Have Ye Done (7/10), Our Town (9/10), The Winning of Barbara Worth (8/10), Red Riding 1974 (7/10), Grand Hotel (8/10), Rapt (8/10), The Champ (7/10), Red Beard (8.5/10), Rendez-vous d'Anna (8/10), Two Thousand Maniacs! (7/10), The Old Dark House (7.5/10), The Tarnished Angels (8/10), Ordet (9/10), Pigs and Battleships (8/10), The Naked City (8/10), The Ninth Configuration (4/10), Sling Blade (8.5/10), Le Trou (8.5/10), I Know Where I'm Going! (7.5/10), The Hangover (7.5/10), Body Heat (7.5/10), Night Moves (8.5/10), The Earrings of Madame De... (8/10), Toto, Peppino, e la Malafemmina (7/10), Short Cuts (9/10), The Mystery of Picasso (8/10), The Wisdom of Crocodiles (6.5/10), To Be or Not to Be (9/10), Barfly (5.5/10), Billy Liar (8/10), Hana-bi (7.5/10), The Fighter (8/10), Cop Land (8/10), Cairo Station (8.5/10), Beware of a Holy Whore (8/10) That Obscure Object of Desire (8.5/10), The Structure of Crystals (8.5/10), Farewell, My Lovely (8/10), The Blue Angel (7.5.10), Amadeus (8/10), A Time to Love and a Time to Die (8.5/10), Mike's Murder (8/10), I Saw the Devil (7/10), Advise and Consent (8/10), Little Man, What Now? (8.5/10), Outrage (7.5/10), Electra Glide in Blue (8/10), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (8/10) Total: 138 Best: All That Heaven Allows Worst: Harold and Maude penismightier fucked around with this message at 08:47 on Feb 6, 2012 |
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Feb 6, 2012 08:11
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penismightier posted:I'd still rather gently caress a brunette, but Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is fun. I have trouble with classical musicals because I hate that chintzy Rodgers and Hammerstein sound, but this was endearingly jazzy. Toe-tappin'. Monroe was, as usual, magnetic, but the real coup here was Jane Russell, who's hilarious and lovely as an utterly determined fuckmachine. The technicolor camerawork is magnificent - there's some exteriors of the cruise ship which are jaw-dropping. It's fluff, but perfect fluff.
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Feb 6, 2012 14:05
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penismightier posted:Obviously as the recommender, I think you're really underselling it. Sandy Dennis, not Taylor, puts in both the best performance and the crucial one. Here's a good starting point: I didn't express it in my short review, but I did recognize the depth of the dialog. The movie had a ton of meat to be analyzed and studied and appreciated. But none of that mattered to me because my visceral reaction was just too strong and too negative. I hated the characters. And I don't mean that in an "I can't relate to them" sort of way. I hated them because they annoyed the living hell out of me. Taylor was a nagging, pompous witch with the most grating voice I've ever heard. Burton's character was a self-important blowhard whose unnatural oh-so-intellectual blathering (seemingly unaffected by the barrels of alcohol he had consumed) drove me nuts. And Dennis' drunk goofy little girl act almost made me want to turn the movie off. Segal bothered me the least, but his actions made no sense. In fact, the story as a whole made absolutely no sense. Why on earth would the two guests not leave in the first ten minutes of this unpleasant visit? Let alone stay for another, what, 4 hours? The only answer is that the script required them to stay.
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Feb 6, 2012 17:14
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caiman posted:Why on earth would the two guests not leave in the first ten minutes of this unpleasant visit? Let alone stay for another, what, 4 hours? The only answer is that the script required them to stay. But you are right that everyone is totally pathetic, I can see how it would rub someone the wrong way.
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Feb 6, 2012 17:29
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caiman posted:Why on earth would the two guests not leave in the first ten minutes of this unpleasant visit? Let alone stay for another, what, 4 hours? The demands of politeness - she's the daughter of the president of the college, for heck's sake. Part of why I love Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? is that it takes the stage play and transfers it to screen with minimal loss of dialogue (Lehman's script was almost entirely discarded out but he was still given credit), which means that the parts that are relatively distant on-stage are right in your face on-screen. The play is vicious in person because you're there with them, and Nichols simulates that by bring the camera up close and giving the audience little room to breathe when it gets intense (cinema is, after all, a passive, non-interactive medium). I can see why it would be upsetting to someone not prepared for it, though. Magic Hate Ball fucked around with this message at 18:03 on Feb 6, 2012 |
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Feb 6, 2012 17:58
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a radii hike posted:What do you make of Jonathan Rosenbaum's analysis of the film as a 'capitalist Potemkin'? Holy poo poo, this is terrific. Thanks for pointing me to it. caiman posted:Why on earth would the two guests not leave in the first ten minutes of this unpleasant visit? Let alone stay for another, what, 4 hours? The only answer is that the script required them to stay. No, they stay because they're trapped. Nick wants a promotion - that's why he fucks her too - and Honey is totally marginalized to the point where she doesn't even have a real name. Besides that, as the games get truly underway, Nick starts to play. Actually now that I think about it, Woolf and Funny Games would make an interesting double feature.
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Feb 6, 2012 19:16
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penismightier posted:No, they stay because they're trapped. Nick wants a promotion - that's why he fucks her too - and Honey is totally marginalized to the point where she doesn't even have a real name. Besides that, as the games get truly underway, Nick starts to play. These are interesting points and they make me wish I didn't hate watching the movie so much 
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Feb 6, 2012 20:33
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penismightier posted:No, they stay because they're trapped. Nick wants a promotion - that's why he fucks her too - and Honey is totally marginalized to the point where she doesn't even have a real name. Besides that, as the games get truly underway, Nick starts to play. He also fails at loving her and it's worth mentioning that his name is never actually said in the film or play.
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Feb 6, 2012 20:43
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